Young Mythos Book One: The Dark Lord Rising
by The Professor of Writing
Summary: As Emperor Palpatine threatens to invade Earth, it is up to Valkyrie Cain to get out of Darquesse's head and assemble a team of young superheroes to stop him: Percy Jackson, Matt Freeman, Ben Tennyson and Carter Kane form Young Mythos. T to be safe
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own none of these characters: they are owned by Derek Landy, Cartoon Network, Anthony Horowitz, Rick Riordan, Disney and the BBC. This story is written purely for my and your entertainment.**

**A/N: This is an official follow-on from my short story **_**The Doctor and The Dead Man**_**, and takes place in a complete mashup universe, where several fictional continuities exist side by side. This is the first of five books (that I have planned –there may be more,) constituting a team of young superheroes. Enjoy…**

CHAPTER ONE

_Coruscant, Capital of the Galactic Empire, 4__th__ April 752 AD_

Senator Ikra Torkarva shivered as she listened to the Emperor's speech. The old man was beyond creepy. She knew as well as the rest of the seven thousand or so other senators in this room that their opinions counted for very little. Ever since the dissolution of the Republic, the Galactic Senate had become a farce, an organisation designed to take the blame for the Emperor's actions. Ikra, native to the planet Kephalaspia, was a tall Senator, and had a magnificent frill, characteristic of her species. She sighed, and began to pay closer attention.

"My people," cried the Emperor, "our scientists have located a planet filled with resources that the Empire sorely needs. It is in Mutter's Spiral, and far in the future, but due to our recent acquisition of certain, ah, items we will be able to take what we need with ease." he smirked coldly. Ikra had a hunch these items had something to do with the meteors that crashed on Tattoine, killing around 500 natives. "Soon, we shall rise; our Empire covering two galaxies, and a thousand years in between!" The Emperor raised his hands, to thunderous applause, most notably from the Trade Federation. Ikra sighed, unsatisfied with her lot in life.

As the Senators filed out, she heard –or thought she heard –a strange sound coming from a dark alley. It was a sort of wheezing groaning, and it made Ikra feel slightly better, as though all of her problems were lifted away. She turned into the alley, and saw the strangest sight she had ever encountered. A large blue box stood in the alleyway, with words _Police Public Call Box_ written on the sides. Smoke billowed out from the doors, which had swung open with a loud creak. This wasn't the strangest part though. Ikra could have sworn that this box had not been here earlier that day. A grey-haired man with astonishingly sharp facial features was standing outside, pointing a fire-extinguisher at the inside of this strange box. He wore odd clothing; a black overcoat over a white shirt with no tie, and a waistcoat-cardigan. He had large boots and skinny trousers on his legs. When the smoke had subsided, he threw the fire-extinguisher back into the box, where it landed with a loud clang, disproportionate to the size of the box. Ikra approached the strange man.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" he growled. He had a funny accent; certainly he wasn't a native to this quadrant. "Honestly, from my experience Kephalaspids were extremely intelligent and observational creatures! Now, I find out that they're pudding brains, just like the rest!"

Ikra frowned, unused to this man's blunt and harsh manner, "Do you want some help or anything."

The man looked up very suddenly, and Ikra became very aware of his sharp nose and chin, and his penetrating blue eyes. "Yes. Could you tell me where and when I am?"

Odd question, "You're on Coruscant. The year is 27'563 according to the Galactic Calendar."

"Ah, Coruscant. Recently made the Capital of the Galactic Empire, yes?"

"How do you not know that?"

He shrugged indifferently, "I haven't been to this galaxy for about 700 years, I've been very busy. You wouldn't believe the amount of effort that I expend trying to look after a small planet on the edge of Mutter's Spiral. You probably won't have heard of it, it's called Earth. Silly name for a planet if you ask me, but hey, it's their choice!"

While he had been babbling on, Ikra had sunk against the wall.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Earth, Mutter's Spiral. The Emperor has just unveiled plans to invade." her voice was thick, she didn't understand why. Why was she telling this stranger?

"Ah! Oh. That's a problem. Not for me, I'm not a native, but for them… Thank you, I'll get right onto it." he strode back towards the mysterious blue box.

"You didn't tell me your name!"

He leant out of the door, "You can call me the Doctor."

With that, he swung the doors closed and the blue box began to dematerialise, right in front of Ikra's eyes. Kephalaspids have six senses, but only five are usually active. Very occasionally the sixth will activate, usually in times when the Kephalaspid is in danger, or when something life-changing has occurred. Ikra shivered as she felt a tingling in her spine that made her realise that she had just made a massive decision. And she did not feel at all at ease about it…

_Earth, Long Island, 4__th__ October 2014_

The weather was fair for the time of year. Of course, this was slightly due to the magical boundaries that protected Camp Half-Blood from extremes in temperature. The wooded area was silent, but that was all about to change. A glowing, churning circle of light opened up in mid-air. First it was a pinprick, and then it was the size of a golf ball, then a bowling ball, then a beach ball. Finally it was big enough to drive a tank through. A tall man dressed all in black stepped out from the portal. His name was Darth Vader. Formerly Anakin Skywalker, he had become a cyborg following an unfortunate accident on the planet Mustafar. He now wore a respirator over his entire face. He wore a pure black cloak, and black body armour. At his belt was his infamous Lightsabre; a laser sword almost a metre in length. He was followed by 20 Imperial Stormtroopers, there as his advance guard. He motioned for them to fan out and begin to attack the camp. However, he does not notice a tall, well-built dark haired eighteen year old walking poke his head out from one of his favourite places; the lake.

Percy Jackson, son of the Greek god Poseidon narrowed his eyes. This guy looked like some sort of invader, and Percy didn't like invaders at Half-Blood Hill, his favourite place in the world. He pulled a pen out from his pocket, and uncapped it. The pen grew into a metre long bronze sword; Anaklusmos, or Riptide, the cursed blade of Hercules. Percy fired out of the water like a cannonball, barrelling into three Stormtroopers from behind. The rest turned, and began to fire on the young demigod.

Percy ducked and rolled under the fire, and swung his sword at the nearest Stormtrooper. It passed straight through the fortunate clone, causing Percy to narrow his eyes; "You're not a monster! What are you?"

The Stormtrooper didn't answer, swinging the butt of his gun into Percy's jaw. Percy grunted, stumbling backwards. By now, Vader had turned to see what was going on. He saw Percy stumble back into the lake, and his eyes widened. The waters revitalised Percy instantly, and he looked up with the power of the seas in his eyes. He gestured, and a column of water three feet thick shot out and slammed into the Stormtrooper who had hit Percy. The Stormtrooper disappeared.

Percy capped Riptide, and stepped further back into the water. He raised his hands, and two swirling columns of water rose out of the lake, and took on the shape of his hands.

"Now then," Percy grinned, "whose next?"

_Thirty four miles outside of Roarhaven City, Ireland, 48 hours earlier_

Valkyrie Cain was brooding inside her own head. She was a relatively tall 18 year old girl, with elbow-length black hair and dark eyes. She had become a part of the magical world ever since she was twelve, and she had become a reasonably powerful sorcerer in her own right. She was an Elemental, able to bend the elements to her will –or at least manipulate them. She was one of the last surviving descendants of the Ancients, the first humans to wield magic. Ever since Darquesse, her 'bad mood' had gained control of her head, she was forced to sit in the crushing blackness of her own mind. She could see, as if on a TV screen, everything that Darquesse did, and everyone that she killed. She'd given up crying and screaming for release, she knew that Darquesse wasn't listening. She also knew that Darquesse needed her to stay alive and whole, but that didn't stop her from making Valkyrie's life cold and uncomfortable.

She heard a strange sound inside her mind; she thought it could be talking.

"_Skulduggery?"_ she asked, probing her thoughts, _"Skulduggery is that you?"_

"_No. Has my voice changed so much that the famous Valkyrie Cain can't recognise it?"_

The voice was brittle, harsh, with a hint of a Scots accent. Valkyrie couldn't say she'd heard it before.

"_I'm sorry, I can't really think all too clearly now, could you at least jog my memory?"_

The voice sighed, _"It's me, the Doctor. I've changed a bit, but I'm still the same guy. It's complicated; I wouldn't expect you to get it. Anyway, there's an upcoming alien invasion, and I need you to get a group of similar powered kids together to help save the day."_

Valkyrie smiled faintly, _"That sounds fun, but I'm kind of a prisoner in my own head."_ She went on to explain the whole situation with Darquesse.

"_Oh, that's bad."_ The Time Lord was silent for a moment, _"I'll send someone along to fix it for you."_

And with that, he cut off the psychic link. Valkyrie banged her fists against the telepathic walls that surrounded her, trying with new energy to get out. All she had to do was hold on until she could be freed.

_The Sanctuary, Roarhaven City, Ireland, one hour later_

Matt Freeman, a sixteen year old boy with close-cropped dark hair woke with a juddering gasp of air. He was one of the Five, a group of children destined to save the world from a race of immortal beings called the Old Ones. Matt sat up, looking confusedly around at his surroundings. Hadn't he just _died?_ Hadn't Richard just shoved a knife into his chest? How was he here? Had they won? He hoped so. He heard footsteps behind him, and turned to see an attractive young woman with dark hair and eyes. She held a golden rod about a foot long in her right hand.

"Are you Matt Freeman?" the girl asked.

"Yes."

She grinned, "My name is Stephanie Edgely, and I need you help to stop the Worldbreaker.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

_The Sanctuary, Roarhaven City, Ireland, 2__nd__ October 2014_

"What?" asked Matt. The strange girl named Stephanie was looking at him almost with awe. Something seemed off about her, like she wasn't really human. He also knew that the golden rod in her hand was the Sceptre of the Ancients, the most powerful weapon on Earth. Matt didn't know how he knew these things; it was all part of his power, which he had gained by being one of the Gatekeepers.

"We need you. I was told that you were coming about thirty minutes ago, and that you were the only one who could stop her."

"Stop who?"

Stephanie was terribly pale, "Darquesse."

Matt felt an unexplained shiver down his spine as he heard the word, but couldn't understand why. "Alright then." He knew deep down that this girl was telling the truth.

They walked up several flights of stairs, and heard screams and their noses were filled with the smell of ozone. Finally, when they cleared the last doorway, Matt saw the carnage below. There were thousands of strange creatures below, ones that looked like zombies but held together with stitches –Stephanie had called them Wretchlings –and ones that fired golden energy from their hands, called Warlocks. There were hundreds of humans attacking, and, as Matt looked harder, their bodies seemed to glow. Sorcerers.

The Warlocks were clearly winning; for every Warlock felled, three more took its place, and the sorcerers were running low. Even the so-called super-sorcerers created by the Accelerator (a mysterious device that could boost the power of all sorcerers to insane levels) weren't gaining much ground.

"There she is."

Stephanie's voice was small, afraid. She pointed upwards, and Matt followed her gaze. There, standing in the clouds was Darquesse. Physically identical to Stephanie, she wore the skimpy red outfit of a Bride of Blood Tears, one of the more violent varieties of Witch. Darquesse looked down on the two armies, and smiled lazily. She flew down and slammed into the ground, creating a shockwave that even Matt felt, high up on the walls of Roarhaven City. One foolish Warlock fired a beam of light at Darquesse. She caught it, and threw it back at him. A super-charged sorcerer sent a wall of flame at her so hot that the cement at her feet bubbled. When the flames died away he was laughing. He was still laughing when she emerged unharmed and took his head off with a gesture.

The other members of the armies were beginning to regain their senses. Matt saw the generals begin to shout orders. Darquesse saw too, and smirked. She blurred, running at incredible speeds at the first line of Wretchlings, her fingers outstretched. As if attracted by gravity, their bodies came apart as she passed in a fascinating display of blood and bone. Matt had had enough. He leapt off of the wall, ignoring Stephanie's cries. He slowed his descent and hit the ground running. He waved his hand and the throng of people before him parted. Darquesse turned, confused, just before Matt sent a wave of force barrelling at her.

Darquesse had barely enough time to notice the immense wave before it hit her, shattering her bones and bursting her body. She was flung back and slammed into a wall, cratering it. This barely stopped Darquesse, who had begun to heal herself even before she hit the wall. After 2 seconds, she head healed all her internal organs. By 6, she had fully repaired her skeleton. After 10 seconds, Darquesse was ready for action. She clicked her fingers, and threw twin columns of flame at Matt. He diverted them around him, and turned them into nothing with a gesture. He clapped his hands together and sent a shockwave straight at Darquesse, but this time she was prepared. She rolled _into_ the wave, diverting its power upwards, and then she grabbed at it, assuming it was magic. It wasn't. Matt sent another wave at her, ten times the force of the first. This wave was powerful enough to shatter the ground and break windows. It was heard in Dublin, nearly 50 miles away. Darquesse barely avoided this one, and for the first time, she wasn't smiling. Her mouth was a grim line, and Matt knew that she knew that she was fighting for her life.

She flew at him, and he held out his hand. Darquesse stopped dead, straining to push past his power. He could feel her probing it, testing to see how it worked. He allowed her in, and then struck back at her mind. Darquesse screamed and pulled back, building up mental walls to stop him, but Matt effortlessly tore them down, roughly searching her mind for a way to pacify her. Blood trickled from her eyes and they rolled back into her head. She flung out her arms, trying to strike him, but the attack was weak and Matt blocked it effortlessly. In a last ditch effort, Darquesse began to kill Valkyrie, to gain her power.

Matt saw this, and seized his opportunity to attack. He pulled mentally bound Darquesse in Valkyrie's mind, cutting off her ability to influence Valkyrie's decisions. He allowed Valkyrie access to some of her power, knowing that he'd need an ally this powerful in the future. Matt locked the rest of Darquesse's power deep within Valkyrie's brain, there to be left forever.

Matt hastily pulled out of Valkyrie's mind, so that he didn't cause too much damage while he was in there. The extreme force of his presence was too much for Valkyrie, who keeled over. Matt's own vision swam in front of him, but he managed to stay upright. He'd never exerted that much power before; even the Fire Riders hadn't put up _that_ much of a fight. Matt picked up Valkyrie and carried her into the Sanctuary, ignoring the battle that had begun to rage around him again…

_Bellwood, Illinois State, United States, 2__nd__ October 2014_

Benjamin Kirby 'Ben' Tennyson sat in the front room of his house. Sixteen years old, he wore a black tee-shirt, blue jeans, sneakers and, most notably, a green and white jacket with a stylised number 10 on the chest. The strangest part of his attire by far was the strange watch he wore on his left wrist. It was green with a number of strange symbols on the sides. This was the Ultimatrix, the source of Ben's power. It was a device created by the Galvans, one of the smartest races in the universe, and enabled Ben to transform between various alien forms.

Ben was fiddling about with the dial of the Ultimatrix when a blocked communications link popped up. Ben narrowed his eyes. He accepted the call. He cried out as a blue glow covered his entire body.

_Undisclosed Location_

Ben felt the strange tingling sensation of the teleport stop as he arrived in a well-lit boardroom. Sitting at the head of the table was an older man, with short grey hair and piercing eyes. He leaned forward, resting his head on his clenched fists.

"Benjamin Tennyson." he said, his accent Scottish, "You have been chosen."

_Brooklyn House, Brooklyn, United States, 2__nd__ October 2014_

Carter Kane, ex-host of Horus, the Egyptian God of War was having a free period. As one of only two teachers at Brooklyn House, free periods were rare, and Carter took the excellent opportunity to take a short nap. He hadn't bothered going up to his room to put his enchanted bag away, and besides, there was no point. He closed his eyes, his hands holding his bag loosely. He too felt the tingling sensation of a teleport. Unfamiliar with the feeling, Carter freaked. But, by the time his younger sister Sadie had arrived on the scene, Carter had vanished into thin air.

_Undisclosed Location_

As Carter regained his footing, the crazy-looking old guy smiled. "Two down, three to go."

_The Sanctuary, Roarhaven, Ireland, 36 hours later_

Valkyrie Cain woke up in a bed. That was good. Unfortunately, her body was utterly shrouded by a thick muddy solution designed to heal her. That meant that she'd got beaten up pretty bad. Not good. She used what little mobility that she had to look around her. Sitting on her left was a sixteen year old boy with short dark hair. He had brilliant blue eyes and wore a black hoodie and jeans. He seemed to be dozing.

"Hey!" Valkyrie said sharply.

The boy stirred, looking at her through eyes that could have been sullen if he had wanted. Instead, his eyes were tired with responsibility, and heavy with death. Valkyrie suddenly imagined that was what her eyes must look like now, after watching Darquesse murder hundreds with Valkyrie's body.

The boy's face broke into a smile, and it looked rare, "Hey Valkyrie. How are you feeling?" He was English, from London. "Sorry about the mud, that was kinda my fault."

Valkyrie grinned, "I've had worse."

"No worse than _I've _had." He retorted jokingly.

Valkyrie laughed. "Why are you here? You don't look like a sorcerer."

"I honestly don't know. Your doppelganger said that she'd heard a voice in her head telling her to find me, and that I was the only one who could stop yo –I mean Darquesse."

"Doppelganger?" Valkyrie frowned.

"Yeah, that girl who looks just like you. She explained the situation while you were sleeping."

Valkyrie narrowed her eyes, "Did she also tell you that she killed my cousin? That she stole my family?" Matt nodded, his expression much the same, "She's not by doppelganger, she's my reflection anyway. She was supposed to lead a normal life while I went adventuring. She wasn't supposed to gain a personality." Valkyrie sighed. She knew it was her fault that the reflect –that Stephanie had gained a personality, her neglect. That still didn't take away the sting. Valkyrie still felt bad, and wanted to apologise to both Stephanie and her family.

Matt broke her out of her reverie, "Hey," he said, "Do you have any idea why we're here? Or, more specifically, why _I'm_ here?"

"I have a suspicion," Valkyrie replied, "but tell me your story, and I'll try to piece it together."

Matt told her his story. He'd begun life as a happy child, but his parents had been killed in a road accident. He told her how he'd gone to live with his aunt and uncle, how they'd abused him, and how he'd started to miss school. He told her about Kevin, the kid next door who got Matt into trouble with the police, and how he'd had to go and live up in Yorkshire with a crazy old lady. He told her about Richard, his friend the journalist, and about the Nexus, an organisation dedicated to finding the Five Gatekeepers. Matt then spoke about each of the Gatekeepers; Pedro, who had the power to heal those around him, Scott and Jamie Tyler, the telepathic twins and Scarlett Adams, the girl with the power to control the weather. Matt told her about the Old Ones, and Valkyrie suddenly gasped.

"I know why you are here." She said suddenly. Then, she told him about the telepathic conversation she had had from the Doctor. Matt took a moment to digest this. He hadn't told her that he had been killed, and might well have been from an alternate universe, and he felt that he should keep that from her for a while at least.

Suddenly, Valkyrie sat bolt upright.

"Get Fletcher," she said, "we're going to Long Island."


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Once Valkyrie had explained to Fletcher and Matt what was going on, and that she had once again received a telepathic message from the Doctor, the trio linked arms and Fletcher teleported them to Long Island, New York.

_200 feet above Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York_

Valkyrie cried out as she fell to earth. Fletcher had disappeared; probably teleporting back to Ireland as she had told him to, and Matt was somewhere to her left. She gathered the air in around her to slow her fall, and she floated down to the ground. Matt lost control slightly and whacked into Valkyrie. She in turn tumbled out of the air and connected with a man sized white object.

Valkyrie heard a metallic voice cry out, and she rolled to her feet. Around her were about 15 armoured men, brandishing futuristic looking guns. There was a guy dressed all in black with a cloak and some sort of Bane-mask, and a kid in an orange t-shirt with a glowing bronze sword. Valkyrie clicked her fingers and summoned a flame. She looked at the kid, who was probably the most normal, and also the one the Doctor had told her to find, "D'you need some help?"

"Who the Hades are you?"

"We'll take that as a yes." Matt replied. He gestured and the Stormtroopers were flung back by a wave of incredible force. The man in black pressed a button on his chest and disappeared in a flash of light. Matt turned to be thrown back, off guard, by a combined wave of water, air and fire. Cursing, he sat up, wiping the dust from his eyes.

The kid in the orange t-shirt had totally overreacted. From what Matt could see, he had knocked Valkyrie down with a massive pillar of water. Valkyrie, incensed, had retaliated by displacing the air, knocking the kid back. He growled and leapt at her, the water at his feet propelling him forwards. Valkyrie ducked and grabbed his arm, flinging him about thirty feet into the water. The kid slid back, skidding on the water. He swept his arms back, and a forty-foot high wave reared up behind him. He smiled coldly, and slammed the water down on her.

Valkyrie tensed, waiting for the water to hit. When it didn't she looked through her fingers, and saw Matt standing there, holding his arm out, gritting his teeth with exertion, as the wall of water churned and frothed just three feet in front of him. Matt began to push back, moving his arms to the sides, parting the waves into two massive pillars of constantly churning water. Water-boy looked extremely confused, and began to focus more, his face reddening. The gap began to close.

Frustrated now, Matt pushed the waves _down_ crying: "ENOUGH!" This stunned the boy. "We've come to help you. Are you Percy Jackson?"

"Yes," he replied, "What do you mean?"

Valkyrie stepped forward, "I was sent a telepathic message by a friend of mine. He told me to meet you here. His name is the Doctor. He should be arriving soon."

No sooner had she said this then a wheezing sound was heard. A battered blue box faded into existence before them, and a crazy looking old guy poked his head round the door: "Get in!" he whispered.

Unwilling to follow this crazy guy, Percy had to be dragged into the box, which the old man called a TARDIS.

_The Valiant, 34'000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, Dawn_

The TARDIS materialised in the boardroom of the Valiant, a massive floating aircraft carrier. It was suspended thousands of feet above the ground, only recently repaired from the Dalek invasion of 2009. Percy was first out of the impossible box, and kept glancing at it after he had taken a seat. Valkyrie was far calmer, and Matt just seemed disinterested. They sat around a table, where there was a buff dark skinned kid and a skinny guy with brown hair fiddling with a watch. The Doctor sat at the head of the table.

"You may be wondering why I've gathered you here." the Doctor said softly. "Five of the most powerful teenagers in the world; Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, Valkyrie Cain, descendent of the Last of the Ancients, Matthew Freeman, Leader of the Five Gatekeepers, Carter Kane, Host of Horus, and Ben Tennyson, Wielder of the Ultimatrix. I have brought you together to combat a threat too powerful even for me to handle. This planet is about to be invaded by a galactic empire from about one and a half thousand years ago.

Now, I can't do this on my own, and putting in a bunch of military types will over-complicate the situation, so I'm going to have to rely on you guys to help sort it out, ok?"

"What if we say no?" asked Carter.

"Well don't be so stupid!" cried the Doctor, "Of course you'll say yes! Otherwise, everyone on this planet will be enslaved by a crazy dictator!"

"Do you have a plan?" asked Valkyrie, concerned that this conversation might escalate.

"Ah, no." replied the Doctor, "I was rather hoping you might. One of you!"

"We have to find out how they're getting here." Percy said quietly. "Otherwise, we'll never be able to prevent them coming through from wherever it is that they are coming from."

Ben nodded, thinking it over, "Once we've done that, we should be able to intercept them and prevent the successful invasion."

"It's decided then," the Doctor said, "Ben, you and Carter scan for spacial anomalies, that's how I think they detected you, Ben with the Ultimatrix and Carter with your magic. Valkyrie, I need you to tell this plan to the high-ups, they wanted me to have something in by the end of the day, Matt, you go with her and Percy, I need to talk to you alone. Go!"

The team rushed off to their specific jobs. Percy waited behind, and the Doctor swept around the table to talk to him. "Percy, I do hope you are aware that your sword has no effect on these 'Stormtroopers' yes?"

Percy frowned. The guy talked to Percy as if he was some kind of idiot, unaware of the complicated goings on of the man's brain. "Yeah, what does that matter? I can still control the water in the air."

"Ah, yes, yes you can, but," the man said, sweeping back round again to a cupboard by the side of the room, "it would be easier for you to use a sword. And I have one for you, right _here!_" he pulled out a Roman Centurion's sword, and Percy was vividly reminded of Jason Grace, the son of Jupiter. The Doctor handed Percy the sword, hilt first.

"I would be honoured if you were to use this; it once belonged to a dear friend of mine, a long, long time ago. I've made some alterations, but it's still the original model."

"What happened to him?"

The Doctor ignored Percy's question, "Go and help the other's track the energy signatures. I have some business to attend to."

XXXXX

Carter had started his tracking spells by the time Percy entered the computing room. There was a tiny grey creature fiddling with a computer. At first Percy didn't know what the hell it was, until Carter told him it was Ben, and that he could shape-shift into aliens.

"This day just keeps getting weirder." muttered Percy.

"Tell me about it." replied Carter. He was sat in a chalk circle about a metre in diameter. There were four clay men, roughly fashioned, that Carter referred to as _shabti_; designed to help their master carry out menial duties. He balanced a boomerang-like object –his wand –across his knees. There was a wooden staff by his side. He kept muttering words in Egyptian, and occasionally a glowing gold hieroglyph would emanate from his body. Percy remembered Carter from when they had battled a killer crocodile off of Long Island. The boy had told him that the Egyptian Gods were also real and they were represented by 'magicians.' Coupled with that Thor guy in the Avengers, Percy half expected Merlin to be a real person too. He sat down next to the tiny alien, and sighed.

"Got anything?"

Grey-Matter spoke with a flat sort of voice; "I've set up a tracking algorithm. All we have to do now is wait."

"So what are you typing?"

Gret-Matter sighed impatiently, "I want to know what's going on with this mysterious 'Doctor' and who he really works for."

XXXXX

Valkyrie stepped into the darkened room. Displayed on screens around the room were six different people. Valkyrie realised that they were each from a different continent. An Asian woman leaned forward, curious. "Who is this young woman?"

"My name is Valkyrie Cain. I assume you are the owners of this particular vessel?"

"We are the heads of UNIT, from each of the continents. What business do you have on the Valiant?" asked an American general.

Valkyrie swallowed, unsure how her answer would go down, "I was brought here by the Doctor, to combat the threat from the invaders."

"And what exactly can you do?" asked a thick-necked African man.

"I, and my other teammates, have a specific set of talents that may prove useful."

"What are your 'talents' girl?" snarled the American.

Valkyrie hesitated, "That's classified, sir."

"Why you little-"

"Generals!" Matt's voice cut through the oncoming argument like a knife through butter. The American General sat back in his chair, and took a long drink from a glass of scotch. "I doubt you will have any of us on your records, so there's little use in us telling you our names. All you need to know is that we have the situation in hand, and are at present searching for the point at which the invaders will attack from. Good day, gentlemen and lady." With that, Matt turned off the screens.

"C'mon. Let's go help the others."

XXXXX

Valkyrie and Matt arrived in the lab to see the three boys roaring with laughter. Valkyrie cleared her throat, "What are you doing?"

Ben looked up, "It's ok, we've set up a tracking algorithm."

Valkyrie frowned, "On what?"

"I hacked into the Archangel Network. You know; the one that was launched by the British Prime Minister in 2008." The computer beeped suddenly, "Now, that'll be the _other_ program I set while I was fiddling about."

"What other program?" The Doctor's harsh voice cut across the room like a knife. "You were told to do one thing and one thing only."

"Yes, but we thought it might be prudent to get some answers." Carter argued, standing up. "Just who the hell are you?"

"He's an alien who's been meddling in Earth affairs for centuries," Ben read off the screen. He frowned, "It says you've got access to time-travel. That's illegal." Everyone looked at him, surprised, "I do outer space stuff. I should report you to the Plumbers." this last was to the Doctor.

Percy snorted, "The _Plumbers?_ What're they gonna do, sink-plunger him to death?"

"Don't underestimate the sink-plunger." the Doctor muttered darkly. Valkyrie looked quizzically at him, but he waved away the question, "The point is, you need to get on with what you were doing."

"I'd like to know," interjected Carter, having remained silent up until now, "why now is such a good time to assemble us. I mean, why not just get the Avengers to sort it out? Or the X-Men?"

"Well –"

"What's so crucial that you wait until only a few days before the threat arrives? You've got a time machine; surely you could just go back and warned us, I don't know, maybe a couple months ago so we could have this sorted out now." Percy cut across him.

"I can't really do that you see, because –"

"And why do we have to explain ourselves to a bunch of _military_ guys?" Matt asked, clearly irked.

"Well, if you'd let me explain, I could tell you that I was told to assemble you guys."

"_Told?_" Matt asked, incredulous.

"Yes. By me. From the future. If he told me that, or if I… Look, the point is, that I can't go back on that, otherwise he wouldn't have told me, see? He told me where you would be, and how to get you." The Doctor said, glaring at them all.

Percy couldn't quite understand why, but he felt angrier than usual, as if he wanted to reach out and pummel the Doctor, and everyone else around him. Beside him Ben was fidgeting, as if he had something in his shirt that he wanted to itch but couldn't. The Doctor glared at them all, and then shook his head.

"Something's wrong." he said, his voice soft and cold.

As if on cue, a weird sound ripped through the air, like SSSSSSSSSSCCCCCHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW! The floor tilted at a forty-five degree angle and the team went sprawling. Carter slammed into Percy, and they pitched out of the room and slammed into a wall. Percy was angry, angrier than ever before. He swung a punch at Carter, who blocked it and pushed Percy back into a wall, where Ben collided with him. The three teens faced off one another, Percy drawing his sword, Carter's staff in hand, and Ben deciding which of his creatures to use first…

**A/N:**

**DUN, DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUN!**


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Valkyrie rolled avoiding the shower of glass in front of her. Ben, Carter and Percy had disappeared, but, right now, she didn't give a damn about them. She stood up, brushing herself off, when something collided with her from behind. Valkyrie was knocked off her feet, but she took off before she could hit the ground. She twisted in her attacker's grip and threw him off. Matt slammed into a metal wall and got to his feet just as Valkyrie's boots collided with his chest. He was knocked to the ground and Valkyrie sat on top of him.

Matt splayed his hand and Valkyrie was yanked backwards as if by an invisible wire. She slammed against a wall, denting it, unable to move. Matt leaped at her, too far for an ordinary human. Beneath her rage and urge to fight and kill everything in her sight, Valkyrie wondered what exactly his power was. Matt slammed into her, knocking them both _through_ the wall, and into a hanger area. Mortals scrambled for cover as Valkyrie let loose a beam of white energy that threw Matt twenty feet backwards. He skidded on his feet before coming to a stop. Valkyrie rushed him, but Matt snapped out his hand. The metal floor in front of him reared up, twisting over and over. All around Valkyrie cables wrapped around her, forcing her to stay down.

She didn't know what the hell he'd done to her back in Roarhaven, but she did know that she was stronger now. She tore through cables and sheets of metal like they were elastic bands and cardboard. Matt kept piling more and more on, but Valkyrie kept going. The Gatekeeper curled his hand, and sheets of metal several inches thick wrapped around Valkyrie from head to toe, encasing her like a mummy. Valkyrie couldn't see, but she sensed Matt piling on tons of material all around her. She decided to use one of the powers she'd seen Darquesse use when she was a passenger.

Matt had just finished encasing the pesky sorcerer and was about to crush some humans when two pinpricks of white light appeared in the huge slab of metal that he had constructed around Valkyrie. His smile melted away, and then was replaced by a frown as a wave of white energy erupted from the casing, reducing it to slag. Matt ducked, narrowly avoiding the stream. Good thing too, because it annihilated the roof above him. Valkyrie climbed out of her prison, eyes still glowing creepily with that strange white energy.

"_Die._" she said in a voice that sounded like a hundred all at once. She let loose with another beam of light from her eyes, and Matt instinctively raised a shield to protect himself. The light crashed against his telekinetic barrier, and, for once, Matt was fighting to maintain it. This wasn't right. He was Matthew Freeman, leader of the Gatekeepers, the most powerful human being in existence. Why was he so weak?

He didn't have time to ponder the issue, as Valkyrie came screaming at him, punching him with enough force to buckle steel. Matt was thrown back once more, cratering the wall behind him. He telekinetically grabbed a forklift truck and threw it at her, but the young girl grabbed it out of the air, and hurled it back at him. Matt waved it out of existence, and blurred towards her.

That wasn't right. He shouldn't have been able to move that fast, pondered Valkyrie. His stupid, unpredictable power was acting up again. He hit her, and she felt her jaw break. She tried another trick of her bad moods, healing it. It didn't exactly help, though, that Matt was moving too fast for her to block him. One second he was behind her, with an elbow to the neck, next he was kicking her in the face as she buckled, then he was under her, throwing her into a jet. Jets hurt, Valkyrie decided, so she threw it at him. That stopped him. It hurt, this healing business, but at least it was over quickly. She had a lot to learn. Her musings were interrupted once again by Matt hitting her, but this time she was ready. She grabbed his fist, twisting it back in on itself. Matt cried out, and she punched him into a wall. He crumpled to the floor, stunned.

Valkyrie felt bullets tug at her jacket and she turned around, fire in her eyes. Six mortals were shooting at her, as if they could make a difference. Valkyrie waved her hand, and five of the six mortals were thrown at the wall, smashing through it. They fell, screaming, out of the hole, down thirty thousand feet. Only one remained. He was a seasoned soldier, with iron-grey hair. He had been fortunate enough to be close to a bar screwed into the wall, and he grabbed onto that. Valkyrie herself had diverted the air around her body, and walked calmly up to the man. He kept firing, but the air tugged the bullets off course. One did hit her, slicing through her thigh. She healed it quickly, ignoring the pain that flared up her leg. His bullets ran out, and he drew a knife, throwing it at her. It was blown away, but Valkyrie gestured and it came back. She looked at it carefully, inspecting its craftsmanship. It was just a regular knife, but Valkyrie loved how it gave her power, power over life and death. She was right next to the soldier now, and he was slipping. She smiled, and brought her hand down.

XXXXX

The Doctor moaned, rubbing his head as he sat up. Why did he have the urge to hit someone? Probably those stupid kids. His eyesight was unnaturally fuzzy, and he shook his head. There was a dark shape in front of him, about the size of a man. A harsh noise filled his ears, like breathing, but it sounded mechanic, like a respirator.

"I take it this was all your idea." the Doctor said groggily.

"You will stand." the voice was as harsh as the breathing, eerily similar to that of a Cyberman's.

"Who are you?"

"I am the ruler of your world." the man said, "You have intelligence. You _will_ come with me."

"What if I say no?"

The man did not answer. He raised his hand, and the Doctor found that he could not move. His arms were forced down by his sides. The man walked away, his cloak billowing out behind him, and the Doctor floated behind him. He did not know where he was going, but he hoped that the team would pull themselves together before it was too late…

XXXXX

Valkyrie's hand met a barrier of telekinetic energy. She turned around; throwing her knife at the source of it, but Matt snatched the blade out of the air.

'_Valkyrie,_' he spoke in her mind, '_Focus. Come back. This isn't you._'

Then, as suddenly as it had arrived, the rage and violent urges left her, and Valkyrie blinked.

"Matt?" she murmured, "What the hell happened?"

She swayed on her feet, attempting to stay upright. He moved a sheet of metal towards the hole, blocking it off, stopping anything else from falling out. "What happened to the others?" he asked, his tone full of worry.

"The..?" Valkyrie's eyes went wide, "Oh dear God…"

**A/N:**

**New chapter up so soon? I hear you cry? Well my dears, you are in luck. Part two of our heroes fighting each other will be up within the week, so look out for that…**


End file.
